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Thursday,
June 28, 2001, Chandigarh, India  
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A new age-old question Musharraf’s
bid for consensus Turkey’s
secular polity |
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Dealing
with Bangladesh
Changing
rules for Andhra’s Prasad
Breast
exam ‘no use’ in cancer fight
Changing
eating habits
We
can reap only what we sow
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A new age-old question A government servant retires at the age of 60. This is what the fifth Pay
Commission stipulated while raising the superannuation from 58 years and what the government accepted when introducing a Bill in Parliament. And again it is what the amended Fundamental Rules, which rigidly govern the service conditions of the employees, command. On Tuesday, however, the Union Cabinet tore all this up and armed itself with the power to give an extension of service to the top bureaucrat of the country, the Cabinet Secretary. Its logic is curious, to put it charitably. It refers to a Supreme Court opinion that those heading apex institutions should have a minimum tenure of two years to feel their way about and produce results. It says the post of Cabinet Secretary falls in this category and so he should remain for two years. But that is not what the Cabinet decision says. It gives him an extension of service of two years, which means he will retire at the age of 62 years and not at the end of two years as Cabinet Secretary. This is a big difference. He assumed office in October last year and he will be 60 on July 31 this year. If the Supreme Court order is strictly implemented in its spirit, he will have to retire in October, 2002, when he completes two years as Cabinet Secretary. But the latest proposal will shift his retirement age to July 31, 2003, giving him a tenure of 33 months. Surely that is stretching the court ruling to ridiculous limits. The decision is flawed for two other reasons. One, the Supreme Court came out with the remark while disposing of the Jain hawala case which collapsed. It felt that if there had been constant monitoring by one committed man, the case would have taken a different course. So it felt that the CBI chief should have at least two years to show his mettle (and not blame a short period for his failures) and that the CBI should work under the overall supervision of an empowered Chief Vigilance Commissioner. Nothing has been done on these two vital suggestions but one obiter dicta has been torn out of context to oblige one officer. It is time to identify the beneficiary, avoided until now to make the vital distinction between principles and personalities. He is Mr T.R. Prasad, a former Chief Secretary of Andhra Pradesh and a favourite of Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu. Mr Naidu wanted his DGP Hora to head the CBI after the previous Director Raghavan retired. When that turned out to be impossible because of the two-year-tenure dictum Mr Naidu shifted his blessings to Mr Prasad. And the BJP-led alliance government has succumbed. All this raises the case of Punjab Cadre officer Ajit Kumar, Finance Secretary. He retires in January next, just before the Union budget. Will he get a two-year extension or of just one month to finalise the documents. Finally, of huge political significance is that the Cabinet has taken this decision in the absence of Home Minister Advani, thereby showing who really runs the show. |
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Musharraf’s bid for consensus WITH
the Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy (ARD) boycotting Wednesday's meeting of political leaders convened by President Musharraf to secure their viewpoints vis-a-vis India before his visit to New Delhi, it appears that he has failed to arrive at a
consensus, as he desired, on giving a new turn to Pakistan's relations with this country. However, reading between the lines, one comes to the conclusion that this is not the truth. Never before has the urge for living in peace with India has, perhaps, been as strong as it is today because of its direct link with economic development. Pakistan's economy is virtually gasping for breath, and the ordinary people, as is obvious, are having the worst of times. The realisation seems to have dawned on them that an end to animosity between the two neighbours with little cultural differences can set in a process of their economic betterment. No political leader with even a modicum of understanding of this economic reality can ignore the yearning of the poverty-stricken common people. Hence the statements from most ARD constituents, including Ms Benazir Bhutto's PPP and Mr Nawaz Sharif's PML, that in principle they stand for holding talks with India for metamorphosing the climate of hatred and suspicion, they do not want to associate themselves with General Musharraf's efforts after his elevation as President of Pakistan. They have a point. Their support will amount to conferring legitimacy on the usurpur of political power who, they have been demanding, must go to allow people's elected representatives to take up the reins of government. So, they may be right from their angle. But the ruling General has created a situation where the ARD leaders have no choice but to endorse his search for peace though indirectly. ARD Chairman Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan has been quoted to have disguisedly expressed his sympathies with President's Musharraf's India visit, but he cannot go against the wishes of the Big Brothers — the PPP and the PML — as that would amount to destroying the pro-democracy movement he has ably steered after the 1999 military coup. The major gain for General Musharraf is that the Jamaat-e-Islami and the Jamiat-e- Ulema-e-Islam, the two most influential cadre-based religious organisations, have responded to his consultation idea. While the Jamaat, led by Qazi Hussain Ahmed, a maverick personality, has the largest following among all the religious formations, Maulana Fazlur Rehman's Jamiat exercises control over dreaded militant outfits like the Hizbul Mujahideen. They may be having their own agenda, but their support to President Musharraf at this time has tremendous significance. The two religious leaders have been among the bitter critics of the ruling General ever since he overthrew the Nawaz Sharif government, but now they have all appreciation for the efforts for normalising relations with India. Interestingly, besides cricketer-turned-political player Imran Khan (leader of the Tehrik-e-Insaaf), the politician-sons of two former military rulers — Ayub Khan and Zia-ul-Haq — Mr Gauhar Ayub and Mr Ijaz-ul-Haq, are also with General Musharraf. There are reports of the MQM, led by Mr Altaf Hussain, the most influential leader of the Muhajir community (migrants from India), also having participated in the meeting. Thus, it should be borne in mind on this side of the Indo-Pak divide that when he lands in New Delhi in the middle of July, the President of Pakistan will be armed with the consensus of the people and the majority of his country's politicians, and he can go to any extent "to change the course of history". |
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Turkey’s secular polity TURKEY
is not a multi-religious state. Yet, the zeal with which it protects its secular character, as fashioned by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, father of modern Turkey, is amazing. The slightest hint of threat to its basic character is effectively nipped in the bud, as it were, by the army. The judiciary too does not approve of the attempts by some Islamist groups to push the country back to the dark era of religious bigotry. The recent ruling by Turkey's constitutional court, the highest judicial forum, against the rabidly pro-Islamist Virtue Group should, therefore, be seen as yet another blow for the secular character of the pre-dominantly Muslim country. The charge against the Virtue Group was that it had violated the law which prohibits religious activities by political parties. Public display of religion is prohibited in Turkey. Two members of the Turkish Parliament, including a woman, were expelled two years ago for violating this law. The woman was not allowed to take the oath of membership while wearing a head scarf, an essentially requirement in most other Muslim countries. Because of the scarf's association with Islamic values women in Turkey are allowed to wear only western-style ladies hat for covering their head. Since the Virtue Group did not give up its preference for using "symbols of religion" in public, as part of its commitment to propagating the Islamist agenda, the constitutional court banned the party from performing even routine political activities. Of course, the ruling is likely to add to the political problems of the left-wing coalition government headed by Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit. The Virtue Group has 102 members in the 500-strong Parliament and it may take out the embarrassment of having been reined in by attacking the wobbly coalition. Turkey is currently in a state of economic turmoil with its currency plunging to a record low. Political instability at this critical juncture would surely compound the economic crisis in Turkey. However, the verdict in favour of the secularists still needs to be welcomed. A political crisis from which Turkey's secular polity emerges unscathed should be welcomed to the one which would surely have placed the destiny of the country in the hands of a bunch of religious bigots. |
Dealing with Bangladesh THAT there is at last a forward movement of sorts on resolving the India-Bangladesh border dispute is welcome. At their two-day meeting in New Delhi earlier this month, officials of the two countries agreed on the terms of reference of the joint working groups on the demarcation of border and exchange of areas in each other’s adverse possession. It is to be hoped that these groups will do their task in right earnest so that the matter is finally settled and sealed without further delay — and bloodshed. In fact, considering the substance of the dispute, it is as surprising as it is unfortunate that it has been hanging fire for nearly three decades. The conflict basically concerns the undemarcated stretch of a mere 6.5 kilometres — of the 4000-plus kilometre long India-Bangladesh border! There must have been reasons to leave this portion unmarked for a while following the Indira-Mujib boundary agreement of 1974, but that it should remain unsettled for so long is less than complimentary to the “business sense” of the successive governments in the two countries. Causing sporadic clashes over the years, the dispute assumed the ugly form it did two months ago when in an act of unsuspected barbarism the Bangladesh Rifles captured, tortured and murdered 16 BSF personnel and subsequently showed the utmost disrespect to their bodies, and this when there is supposed to be a friendly government in Dhaka! The horrendous episode further underlines the urgency of expeditiously settling the matter for good — on our part without indulging in namby-pamby sentiments or getting weighed down by dubious considerations of Bangladesh’s internal politics. While New Delhi’s response, or rather lack of response to the BDR’s bestiality, has rightly earned the Vajpayee government contemptuous ire of the people, in any across-the-table resolution of conflicting claims, a spirit of give and take is in order. In fact, while the BDR’s bloody misconduct should have received prompt and condign response from us, now that the underlying issue is sought to be settled peacefully, I believe India should act with a reasonable degree of open-mindedness. If this means letting go a few hundred acres or a village or two, would that really matter? After all, there are and have been for decades tens of thousands of square kilometres of Indian land under China’s and Pakistan’s adverse occupation, to the grave detriment of our national security and indeed major erosion of our territorial integrity, which would not be the case in giving away a couple of tiny enclaves to Bangladesh. In recommending flexibility on the dispute in question I am not joining the ranks of the ivory tower advocates of “Big Brother” (blind) magnanimity — only urging that we should see the matter in its proper perspective and wholly and only in national interest. Unfortunately, a sense of perspective and national interest is precisely what is missing in out attitude to the bigger and infinitely more worrisome problem to do with Bangladesh — the problem of the massive influx of illegal immigrants, a problem that has already assumed perilous proportions but which, by both design and default, has been ignored and continues to be ignored by us. The problem started after the upheavel of Partition had subsided, but what was a trickle in those early years became a torrent during the Bangladesh liberation struggle and Pakistan’s genocidal reaction to it — until more than a million Bangladeshis flooded West Bengal. After the liberation they were supposed to have gone back; most did, but a large number did not and many of them fanned out to other parts of India. That they were not tracked down and deported, as they should have been, is what paved the way for the illegal one-way street which has by now become a multilane highway. It has brought a cavalcade of serious problems for India but the illegal one-way traffic continues, unabated and with impunity. There is no definitive estimate of the number of such immigrants but conservative guesstimates put the figure at a whopping 20 million — larger than the population of some 50 countries! And the number is growing, virtually by the day, not only through the biological process but in the form of more than 30,000 new arrivals every month, one-third of them coming to and planting themselves in Delhi alone which has some 16 lakh of them already. Even if they were all nice and law-abiding people which, as we shall see presently, a very large number of them are not, would any other country tolerate this magnitude of additional burden on its resources? But in this blessed country of ours, most of them have acquired various citizenship identification papers, like the ration card, voter ID, etc, thanks to the sordid games our politicians play. Consequently, among other things, these illegal immigrants have become voters and are in a position to influence and have indeed influenced the outcome of elections in no fewer than 40 assembly seats in the Capital. Elsewhere the picture is either no different or worse. In Assam, they hold the balance in one-third of the assembly constituencies and have in fact emerged as the majority in several districts. In West Bengal they are the decisive factor in 54 assembly seats and influential in 100 others. Apart from this political clout, they have, more by crook than by hook, done very well for themselves and in many places emerged as the better-off sections — in Assam, for example, by swindling tribals and innocent unlettered villagers of their lands. By any account an alarming picture: Twenty million illegal entrants enjoying citizenship privileges, changing the demographic profiles in several states, (projected to make Assam a Bangladeshi-Muslim majority state in 20 years!), creating communal cauldrons, indulging in an array of crimes, and working as a reservoir of agents, saboteurs and arsonists for the ISI. All this is known to Indian authorities. Why then the nonchalance and lack of action? Of the many possible reasons, one is the inherent ostrich-like attitude of our leaders: see no danger and all will be well. Another is an obsessive preoccupation with personal or party fortunes, oblivious to the grave impact of such politicking on national interests. But the principal reason is in the realm of design, not default: constant calculations on the abacus of electoral politics. The parties in power over the years have failed to take action not only out of a misplaced and perverse fear of alienating Indian Muslim voters but for the entirely myopic purpose of creating and consolidating vote banks among the illegal immigrants. The result is either complete non-action or some half-hearted token action now and then. Of the 16 lakh infiltrators in the Capital, no more than 500 are said to have been sent back so far! And this is better than the record elsewhere! When the problem gets highlighted, the government issues statements of firm intent, for the record! For the rest, all we hear is that there are practical difficulties in identifying the infiltrators (who created them?) and legal difficulties in repatriating them (as if someone from outer space makes our laws!). Occasionally, one is treated to ludicrous ideas, such as the suggestion aired by the Prime Minister the other day of issuing work permits to the infiltrators! The situation makes it imperative for public opinion in this country to assert itself and force the government to do whatever is necessary to stem the flow and reverse it. Apart from firm action on the ground, the government must categorically impress on Dhaka the need to admit the reality and take back its people. There are enough precedents: 12 million Germans settled all over Europe were sent back to Germany after World War II; lakhs of Vietnamese were similarly sent back from Thailand and Hong Kong; Bangladesh itself repatriated Burmese nationals to Myanmar. So, we must send these illegal immigrants back to Bangladesh — through an agreement with Dhaka if possible, by unilateral action if necessary. |
Changing rules for Andhra’s Prasad PRIME
MINISTER Atal Behari Vajpayee appears to have nullified the game plan of the hawks in the BJP to get one of their protagonists as the next Cabinet Secretary. The decision of the Union Cabinet on Tuesday to extend the term of Mr T.R. Prasad as Cabinet Secretary for two more years by amending the service rules for the top slot in the bureaucracy in public interest has not been taken kindly by those opposed to Mr Vajpayee’s liberalism. Generally, Cabinet Secretaries have been allowed to hold that post for at least one year. If the Vajpayee government had not intervened, Mr Prasad would have retired at the end of July after serving as Cabinet Secretary for only nine months. A deep throat tells us that Mr Prasad, who is from the 1963 batch and belongs to the Andhra Pradesh cadre of the IAS, has the backing of Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu. As the supremo of the Telugu Desam Party, Mr Naidu, with a solid chunk of 28 seats in the Lok Sabha, is providing the vital lifeline to the BJP-led NDA by extending support from outside. He has succeeded all along in securing his pound of flesh from the Centre. With the Cabinet Secretary from his home state, Mr Naidu was pushing for AP’s police chief to be appointed as the Director of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). As a quid pro quo for not being able to accommodate Mr Naidu in respect of the CBI, Mr Vajpayee has tried to appease the Andhra Chief Minister by ensuring that Mr Prasad continues as the numero uno of the civil service till he attains the age of 62. Between Agra & Delhi Ever since Agra, the historic city known the world over for the Taj Mahal, was chosen as the venue for the summit meeting between Pakistan President Gen Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, it has become a hot destination for all kinds of officials, security personnel and bureaucrats. The last couple of weeks has seen a heavy presence of government vehicles speeding between Delhi-Agra-Delhi adding to the already heavy traffic on the four-lane highway. The road-side dhabas, busy catering to the tourist traffic, are now having to cope with the whims and fancy of government officials who are known to make unseemly demands, what with the intense heat and humidity of June. But the dhaba owners are not an unhappy lot. The last couple of weeks has shown a sudden spurt in their daily earnings. So what if they have to suffer the arrogance of officials. In contrast, according to those who have recently been to the city of the Taj, it is the local administration which is unhappy. After all, playing host to a variety of bureaucrats and security personnel is not an easy task. They are looking forward to the conclusion of the summit and in the meantime keeping their fingers crossed, hoping that things would go on smoothly at least for them. Peace campaigner in Pak jail Languishing in a Peshawar jail is Vikas Singh, a peace campaigner of Lucknow. He landed in Pakistan after travelling through 62 countries over 14 years to spread the message of peace. He was arrested for travelling without valid documents. Vikas Singh's parents have written to Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh, Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan Vijay Nambiar, Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf and Pakistan High Commissioner to India Ashraf Jehangir Qazi seeking the release of their son. Commenting on Vikas's arrest, leading Pakistani daily Dawn wrote: "It is not that he did not try to get a visa. He did and the Pakistan Embassy in Kabul refused him. So, being the intrepid traveller that he is, he crossed into Pakistan over the rugged country. "He was picked up at Tirah by the cloak and dagger men, trussed up and brought to Peshawar, where judge Arshad Majeed did him in. So welcome to Pakistan, this being 'Visit Pakistan' year". |
Breast exam ‘no use’ in cancer fight MONTHLY breast self-examinations, for decades recommended as a good way of helping women detect the first signs of breast cancer, are in fact of little use in fighting the disease and could even be harmful, a group of Canadian experts said on Tuesday. The Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care said a careful review of seven international studies into the effectiveness of breast self-examination showed the practice had no effect on increasing the life of cancer sufferers. The task force — whose report was published in the Canadian Medical Journal — said women should rely instead on proven methods for detecting breast cancer such as mammograms and breast inspections by trained medical professionals. “There was no evidence to support the benefit from self-examinations in terms of reducing mortality from breast cancer,” said a task force member, Dr John Feightner. The report said examinations could be harmful, since women were likely to suffer from anxiety after finding a lump and many had biopsies on lumps which turned out to be benign. The task force recommended that women aged 40 to 69 no longer be routinely taught to carry out breast self-examinations, in part because few did the tests regularly and ever fewer did them properly. The experts came to their conclusion after looking at self-examination studies conducted by doctors from China, Russia, Britain, the United States, Canada, Finland and Japan. Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer among Canadian women and accounts for 30 per cent of all new cancer cases each year. The task force said an estimated 19,200 Canadian women were diagnosed with breast cancer last year and 5,500 died from the disease. But by no means everyone agreed with the task force’s recommendations. The Canadian Medical Journal published a commentary by two Harvard Medical School doctors saying it was too soon to be contemplating such sweeping changes. Larissa Nekhlyudov and Suzanne Fletcher said the results of a major Chinese study quoted by the Canadian task force should be treated with caution since it was only based on five years of follow-up. “Had we reached conclusions on the effectiveness of screening mammography or colorectal cancer screening after five years, we would have declared that screening was detrimental because the mortality benefits were not yet clear,” they wrote.
Reuters
Hair dye linked to cancer? European Union (EU) scientists have called for an urgent review of the chemical safety of hair dyes because of fears they may increase the risk of cancer in users. They have also recommended studies to see if there are any links between consumers’ use of permanent hair colouring and rates of bladder cancer. The alert follows research in the USA published this year which suggested women using permanent dyes, which have to “grow out’’, could double or treble their chances of developing the disease. Those who used such colouring monthly for 15 years or more were most at risk. Hairdressers who came into daily contact with such products over a decade might be five times more at risk than those who never used them. The European commission’s scientific committee for cosmetic products has reviewed that study, conducted in Los Angeles by a team from the University of Southern California, and concluded the potential risk was “of concern’’. The commission is discussing with manufacturers how dyes may be absorbed into the body and excreted, although the British trade body said on Monday about 60 chemicals had passed previous safety checks. The scientists want details of all permanent dyes including unpublished data on any possible cancer-causing properties. Bladder cancer is diagnosed in more than 13,600 Britons a year, nearly 4,000 of them women. It kills 4,850, just over a third of them women. The Cosmetic, Toiletry and Perfumery Association, representing the industry, said: “This is an interesting finding, one we need to understand.’’ The industry, with the committee, has produced agreed guidelines on how dyes should be assessed for safety and agreed procedures for working out how much is absorbed and how much remains on the hair.
The Guardian |
Changing eating habits MOST of my patients come to me because they want to change the way they eat — permanently. They want to improve their health, their bodies, have more energy. But changing the habits of a lifetime is never easy, and if you’re trying to change the way you relate to food — especially if you’re a binge eater — you’ll have to resign yourself to a long haul. Many patients find themselves having to come back for several sessions, not only for dietary advice, but also to keep themselves focused on the benefits of their goal. Rather like getting out of, and over, a bad relationship, the more encouragement you receive, the less likely you will be to revert to your previous destructive habits. One thing I always suggest is breaking up the day into three units: morning, afternoon and evening. Start each unit with the intention of eating healthily and treating your body well, and when you come to the end of the unit — just before lunch, for instance — take a few seconds to review how you’ve done. If you’ve done well, pat yourself on the back — this should inspire you to embark on the next unit in a positive fashion. Repeating this process at the end of each unit should result in a stock of ‘feelgood’ vouchers by the end of the day, and after a few days you should be on a roll. If you have a bad unit — say, an unhealthy breakfast — you can put a halt to the downward spiral at lunchtime by starting afresh rather than writing off the whole day. It’s far better to have notched up only one good unit than none at all. In addition, the more you can do to make yourself feel better about your body the better, as negative thinking increases your likelihood of bingeing on forbidden foods or reverting to unhealthy habits. So pamper yourself — book a massage, for example, or buy some aromatherapy oils. This may sound like strange dietary advice, but the better you feel about yourself, the less appealing bad habits become. Far too many people believe that eating is the only way they can comfort or reward themselves or commiserate or celebrate with others. The more you can do to comfort or reward yourself in other ways, the more successful you’ll be in controlling your eating habits. One destructive habit which, sadly, dominates many women’s lives is the daily — or even thrice-daily — weigh-in. Because scales seldom have a positive influence, I’d advise you to jettison them. And remember that women’s bodies often retain water before their periods and that air travel can bring on a few days’ worth of fluid retention. Another tip is to learn some deep-breathing, relaxation exercises (you can buy tapes, videos and books on the subject) for when you suddenly feel a craving for an unhealthy food. Breathing properly and concentrating on something other than food can be extremely effective when trying to ignore ‘I-have-to-eat’ thoughts, which will pass after a few minutes. Or try another distraction therapy, such as going for a walk. Just like getting over a broken relationship, time is a great healer, but the more you can do to feel positive about yourself in the meantime, the quicker and longer-lasting the results will be. |
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Will Muzaffarabad highway reopen? THERE is a definite glow in the eyes of 70-year-old Manohar Singh when he hears that the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad highway will reopen. “Is it happening?” he asked his sons in glee when they read him a news item in a Srinagar newspaper that said that the 160-km-long highway, closed since the partition of the country in 1947, might once again open to traffic. His memories come flooding like a flashback in a Hindi movie. “We had a big house there (in Muzaffarabad). People would often come to my father, Gian Singh, to seek his advice,” Manohar says as he goes down memory lane. There is silence. He has narrated this story to his family so many times. “If the road opens and there is a bus service, I bet I will be the first passenger to board that bus,” says Manohar, who spent his childhood and part of his adolescence in that part of Kashmir that is now under Pakistan’s control. Manohar had shifted to Singh Mohalla in Baramula, after tribal raiders from across the border invaded the frontier state in 1947. Word soon spread that non-Muslims had better leave. Manohar was quick to react but has always nurtured a dream to go back, albeit temporarily. Manohar belongs to that community of Sikhs who are known as Muzaffarabadi Sikhs. They practise the same religion as other Sikhs but have distinct living and eating styles. This community is awaiting the outcome of next month’s India-Pakistan summit for no other reason than to know whether a bus service would be started between Srinagar and Muzaffarabad. The Muzaffarabadi Sikhs, who are mostly settled in Baramula, Jammu and Poonch, are reconciled to living here. The majority of them have invested in the transport business and rare is the family that has not prospered out of sheer enterprise. The thought of the bus journey also evokes excitement in Shafieq, who lives in Jammu. Three of his uncles live in Pakistan administered Kashmir. His mother died after an endless wait to see her brothers, who shifted to the other side after the tumultuous events of 1947.
IANS |
Administration of opium to children
Finally, in regard to the administration of opium to children, the replies show, as anticipated, that the extent to which this practice prevails varies widely in different parts of the country, though it can hardly be said to be unknown anywhere. Except perhaps in Burma and in parts of Assam and Bengal, there is a general consenses of opinion that whether or not the ill effects of the habit have been exaggerated, it should be discouraged, but that the problem is not one that can be solved by legislation. Or, in view of the very small doses administered, is any improvement to be expected as a result of the enhancement of the sale price of the drug-Education, health propaganda and the activities of the organisataions for the promotion of child welfare are indicated as the means upon which reliance must be placed for the ultimate eradication of this custom. |
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We can reap only what we sow MAN cries at the time of birth. Also at the time of his death. During the interval, he strives and struggles. To acquire more of worldly possessions. To have wealth and be wealthy. Today, the craze is in the air. It commences in the cradle. The boy wants his toy. At school, it is education. Then the job. Followed by marriage, family and children. Then the settling of children. And before one realises, it is old age and the end. How many happiness does a man enjoy during the decades of this earthly existence? How many times does he really laugh? Does he ever stand and stare? In fact, he spends more time in crying than in laughing or even smiling. Why? Because we make life a long struggle. For we have come to believe that possession of property alone can pave the path to peace. Success is not a universal rule. Everyone does not achieve everything. When faced with failure, man begins to find fault with others. The parents, teachers, friends and foes. All alike. Finally, even with God. Why did He not give everything at the opportune time? Why was He so unjust and unkind to me? Man does not thank Him for all that he has got. He does not thank God for all His mercies. He does not recall the good that others have done to him. He curses and criticises everyone for all that he wished for but did not get. Look within. Do some introspection. Recall the good that you have done to others during the decades of your life on this planet. Did you do anything to give happiness to anyone? To give a simple to a sad face? Did you lend a helping hand to the man who was feeling helpless? Did you walk even a step with the man who was sad and lonely? Did you care for anyone in need? No! You were guided by your greed. Then, why do you cry? We can reap only what we sow. Our deeds are the seeds. If we grow cacti, we shall have thorns. If we give unhappiness, we cannot be happy at heart. We get what we give. Love begets love. Smile. Others shall smile with you. But if you are always wanting and never giving, you may be left groping. Without getting. I look at myself. Always competitive. Never contented. Always wanting more. Never giving anything to anyone. Now, how can I blame others? We are all runners on the road of life. Everyone runs the race. In the hope of getting to the goal and grabbing everything. Me too. But others ran faster. They were stronger. Thus, they won. I was weak. So, I was left behind. I cannot blame them for my failure. All mortals must realise this truth and accept it. For their own good. And as this realisation comes, the anger begins to go. I am at peace with myself. Also with the world. I begin to feel relaxed. And stronger. In body and mind. The smile returns. I am happy. The foes of yesterday begin to look like friends of today. It seems like a new world. Slowly, the things improve. Peace of mind is the greatest blessing. One should stay calm and cool. In speech and in action. Also in thought. And just as the smallest piece of grit can ruin a good dish, a bad thought can disturb the man's mind. Let us also remember that the whole world's wealth cannot guarantee peace. If at all you get it, the 'Sampatti' (wealth) can become the cause of 'Aapatti' (trouble). Even health, wealth and comforts of life cannot ensure peace. It has to come from within. By reducing needs. Shedding wants. In life, everything cannot be as one wants or wishes. Some adjustment is inevitable. Man cannot change circumstances. Nor others. But he can change himself. He can cultivate contentment. Stay satisfied. There will be a natural smile on the face. And peace of mind all the time. When at peace, life in a hut can be like heaven on earth. The poor man's cottage can become better than a prince's palace. Cultivate self-control. Learn to control the desires. Even the desire to have a particular kind of food. Apply brakes to the wandering mind. Make it obey your dictates. Follow the directions. Do not be a slave to anything. Be the master of everything. Learn to live with the world. As it is. Within what you have. Satisfied with what He has given you. See good in everything. In everyone. Admire and appreciate. Do not criticise or deprecate. Look at a flower. Imagine it to be the most beautiful thing in the world. Look a the plate of food lying in front of you. Feel as if it is pure nectar. Enjoy nature. The hills, mountains and rivers. The flora and fauna. The sights and sounds. As if, nature has made all this for you. It is all yours. The thought itself shall be satisfying. It shall generate peace. Do not get attached to anything. The moment, a feeling of attachment comes, just withdraw. Start everyday as a new life. End the day as if you have achieved all that you had wanted. Thank people for their kindness. Seek God's forgiveness for the faults. Feel as if you are lying in His lap. Surrender is the secret. And then remember that even if you do everything right, the world shall still criticise. Ignore them. Do not retaliate. Do not find fault with anyone. Develop tolerance. Be tolerant. The higher the level of learning, greater shall be the capacity to tolerate. More shall be the peace within. Try. You will not regret it. In fact, slowly the wants shall be reduced. Worries shall vanish. You will be on the path to peace. Here shall be peace within. Also around you. The world shall be a happier place to live in. |
The sex impulse is most dynamic in human nature, and therefore, because it is so far reaching, some measure of self control is necessary even in ordinary human existence. In the case of a spiritual aspirants who wants to bring his mind under complete control a still greater measure is necessary. ***** The misdirection of vital energies brings its own penalty. The hazards of sexual licence are sins against our bodies. ***** Sex is as much a divine creation as any other element of man’s make-up. Life runs in parallel throughout the universe; this duality which merges into unity is rooted in the same ground as everything sacred; and that which draws man to woman and makes him throw his arms around her is nothing more or less than that force which draws the positive electric pole towards the negative. ***** We need self control but not self torture. We need sexual restraint not sexual extinction, just as we need the illumined use of the intellect and not its ascetic rejection.... We need a sensible medium between sex obsession and sex repression. ***** The successful practice of true chastity... When it is a triumphant positive virtue and not merely an attempted negative one, when it refuses dissipation through innate strength, not through innate fear and when lust has yielded to loftier desires, always brings great benefits of a physical and mental nature. ***** Because the body is the sacred habitation of an undying soul it should be treated with due respect. Its primal energy should be reasonably conserved and not made the sport of momentary changes, if higher attainments are looked for.
— Dr Paul Brunton, The Inner Reality |
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